The conclusions of Advocate General Jääskinen in the matter of the infringement proceedings against Germany, regarding the scope of the term "water services" in Article 9 of the Water Framework Directive, are now available. In these he considers that the action brought by the Commission...

Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires Member States to take account of the principle of recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs (ERCs). Whilst legally the Member States have broad scope for discretion when applying Article 9, the...